Electric igniter for gas-engines.



PATENTED JULY 12', 1904.

' E. IRD.l

ELECTRIC IGNITER POR GAS ENGINES.'

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 15. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

A 770/?NE YS Patented July 12, 1904.

EDGAR FORD, OF VILMINGTON, DELAVARE.

ELECTRIC IGNITER FOR GAS-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,998, dated July 12, 1904. Application filed October l5, 1903. Serial No. 177,146. (No model.)

.To .all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Iilmington, in the county of Newcastle and State of Delaware, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Igniters for Gas-Engines, of which the followingis a specification.

My inventionis in the nature of an electric igniter for gas and gasoleneengines. It belongs to the class known as the jump-spark igniter and is automatic in its action.

It consists in means whereby the electrodes are held in contact by a spring and are separated by the direct pneumatic pressure of the gases when they reach a certain degree of compression preparatory to explosion, as will be hereinafter fully described with reference to the drawings, in which- Figure l is a sectional elevation through the igniter as applied to the cylinder-head. Fig. 2 is a detail 'side view of the adjustingscrew and its carrying-sleeve, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the barrel which receives the adjusting-screw and its carrying-sleeve.

In the drawings, A represents the cylinderhead, and A/ the outer casing, between which and the cylinder is formed the usual waterjacket space a.

B is a hollow hub having exteriorly-screwed flanges o and o. Of these flange o screws into an opening in the cylinder-head and o receives a jam-nut N to bear on the casing Al and make a tight joint for the water-jacket.

Within the hub B is a non-conducting porcelain plug E, arranged eccentrically in the hub and having a xed metal sleeve B in its center. This sleeve has a flange at its lower end outside the porcelain plug and within the explosion chamber, and between this flange and the porcelain plug is a tight packingc, of asbestos. A similar packing c' is arranged between the porcelain plug and the flange o/ of the hub. These packing-rings make tight 5 joints for the explosion-chamber.

l/Vithin the sleeve B there slides a closelyfitting steel rod D, arranged to move freely up and down in the sleeve B and having at its lower end within the explosion-chamber an enlarged head bearing a platinum pin d, forming the movable electrode. Immediaely below this platinum pin is another one, c, carried on the upper surface of a bent steel arm vby an external screw-thread to a non-conducting and insulating plate F, and between which and the flange o of the hub is other insulation in the form of washers F F2, of hard rubber or vulcanized fiber.

' Upon the non-conducting plate F and Ascrewed upon the upper end of the sleeve B is a vertical barrel G, containing a helical spring J, which at its lower end embraces and bears upon the upper end of the sliding electrode D and at its upper end carries a screw-seat j, upon which bears an adjustingscrew I, tapped in a movable flanged sleeve H. This sleeve is removably located in the upper-end of the barrel G and is quickly locked therein at any suitable height by a chisel-edged detent /L on the exterior of sleeve H (see Fig. 2) and a slot in the side of barrel G, having on its side downwardly-pointing ratchet-teeth g, (see Fig. 3,) any one of which teeth is adapted to be caught by the detent to hold the sleeve down to the position to which it may be set. This means of adjustment permits the sleeve H and adjustingscrew I to be quickly fixed in or removed from th'e upper end of the barrel, the detent /L being thrown into or out of engagement with the ratchet-teeth g of the slot by a slight rotary movement of the sleeve H about its vertical longitudinal axis. Vhen the screw I is thus held above the spring J, the tension of the latter and its pressure on the movable electrode may be nicely adjusted by turning the screw I up or down within its carryingsleeve H.

K is one of the secondary wiresfrom the spark-coil M. This wire connects with the insulated bari el G and is therefore in exclusive electrical connection with the movable electrode D. L is the other secondary wire Jfrom the spark-coil M, and this is connected to the metal casing A, and consequently tol the hub B and arm C, carrying' the lower stationary electrode.

The operation oi' my igniter is as follows: The hub and plug, as shown, are seated in the cylinder-head; but they may be located anywhere so long as the electrodes are in the explosion-chamber. Normally the electrodes are held closed by the tension oi' thespring J, and the secondary circuit is completed from the spark-coil. When, however, the piston of the engine compresses the charge of gas and air and the pressure is reached at which the electrodes open, the pneumatic pressure of the compressed gases acts on the movable electrodeD as a piston and raising it against the spring separates its point (Z from c and gives the spark just at the moment oi' complete compression, the degree of compression at which the electrode moves being regulated by the adjusting-screw I, which is made to increase or diminish the tension oi' the spring J at the pleasure oi' the operator.

In defining my invention with greater clearness I would state that I am aware that the movable electrode or' a gas-engine igniter has been operated in one direction by a spring and in the other direction by the pneumatic pressure of the compressed gases; but in such case the electrodes were normally out of contact and were brought into contact by the compression of the gases and were opened by the spring only when the piston moved back after maximum compression. In such case the spark is not given at the time of maximum compression.

I am also aware that the movable electrode of a gas-engine igniter has been worked in both directions by the pneumatic pressure of the compressed gases-'1,'. e., the direct pressure closed the electrodes and when theV piston arrived at a certain point in compressing the gases a passage-way was opened through an extraneous pipe to the opposite side of the electrode to cause it to move away from the stationary electrode. The skin friction and choked passage-way of this extraneous tube cannot allow a sensitive transfer of the pressure of the gases to the opposite side of the electrode. I therefore make no claim,broadly, to operating the movable electrode pneumatically nor to either of the constructions described. In my invention the movable electrode is separated from the stationary one by the direct pressure oi' the gases in the explosion-chamber itself, and consequently the spark occurs at the moment of maximum compression in a very certain, positive, and sensitive way.

It will be seen that by locating the porcelain plug E eccentrically within the metal hub B one side of the hub is left thicker than the other, so as to give room for the attachment of the arm carrying the stationary electrode. This-allows-a minimum size of hub B to be used, and yet permits the hub, with its plug' and both electrodes, to come within the limits oi' the screw-threaded hole in the cylinderlhead and be together applied and removed as a unit.

Having thus described my-invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An electric igniter for explosive-engines, comprising two electrodes insulated from each other except at the point of contact, a spring for normally holding them together at this point of contact, one of said electrodes being constructed and arranged to be exposed to the direct pneumatic pressure of the compressed gases, so as to be actuated thereby to break contact and give the jump-spark at the moment of greatest compression, substantially as described.

2, An electric igniter for explosive-engines, comprising two electrodes insulated from each other except at the point of contact, a spring for holding them together at this point of contact, one of said electrodes being constructed and arranged to be exposed to the direct pneumatic pressure of the compressed gases, so asto be actuated thereby to break contact at the moment of greatest compression, and means for adjusting the tension of the spring to regulate the pressure at which the electrodes separate, substantially as described.

3. An electric igniter for explosive-engines, comprising two electrodes insulated from each other, except at the point of contact, a spring for holding them together at .this point of contact, one of said electrodes being constructed and arranged to be exposed to the direct pneumatic pressure of the compressed gases so as to be actuated thereby to break contact, a setscrew for regulating the tension of the spring, a sleeve for the set-screw, and a barrel inclosing the spring and screw-sleeve` and having an interlocking connection with said sleeve.

4. An igniter for explosive-engines, comprising anfexternally-screw-threaded hub hav- IOO IXO

ing a non-conducting plug located eccentrically therein, a metal sleeve arranged in sai/l plug, a sliding electrode arranged within the sleeve, and an arm fixed to the thicker sid?J of the inner end of the hub and carrying a fixed electrode in range of contact with thel 6. In an ignter for explosive-engines, the combination with the movable electrode, its spring and containing barrel; of lan adjusting- Screw and a Carrier-sleeve for the screw hav- 5 ing a quick-locking connection with the barrel, whereby the screw is at once adjusted to 'bear on its spring and the tension of the latterris subsequently regulated, substantially as described.

EDGAR FORD.

Witnesses:

MILTON PEREGOY, JOHN WILLIS. 

